


Denouement

by SandfireKat



Category: Deception (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, But Sarah Mclachlan is there, Crime, Death, Drama, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gore, Grab your tissues we go down like men, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I'm gonna be honest he just straight up dies, Pain, Romance, Sad with a sad ending the whole thing is sad, Suspense, There's fluff IN there is what I mean, Tragedy, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 18:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15273168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandfireKat/pseuds/SandfireKat
Summary: It's the ending. The finale. Every show has to have one. Otherwise the show wouldn't be complete.And usually they're big. Usually they're fantastic. Usually they're the best part of the entire thing.But this is not that. It's not a big finale. It's a different kind of ending.





	Denouement

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to be brutally honest, I'm only here to prove a point. My friend said "Try and get angstier than Rationale, I dare you."
> 
> ...Well. Here you go. 
> 
> I needed to get this out of my system anyway because the idea occurred to me a while ago and I figured it'd be a tiny piece. And I was right, it's only ten pages (that's sad that's low for me) so I finished it in only a couple nights. It was a nice little break from my longer-term stories, I think I needed a little respite. I worked hard on this though, and tried to make it as good as possible! Recently I've been doubting my abilities as a writer more and more so posting in general has me nervous now, which I'm trying to work through because I do like writing so much, and I'd like to continue writing for Deception, since ABC refuses to do it. I dunno. I really hope you all like it!  
> (Ignore my awful title and summary I still can't do them right I don't understand, it's early I have work I'm going to bed please be kind).

"So I'm just going to be honest and say it: in comparison to everything else, this is a boring night."

"Well, I'm very sorry I couldn't entertain you better."

"I'll let you know if I forgive you or not."

Kay flashed Cameron a look that was probably meant to be a glare, but couldn't really manage it in the end. Especially when he met her effort with a cheeky grin. The two were sitting in the car together, Kay at the wheel and Cameron in the passenger seat with his feet up on the dash. A comfortable position that wasn't really fitting in this situation, but nevertheless was now a thing because all Kay's attempts at getting him to be professional were useless. A fact she should have known after spending such a long time with him, but that was beside the point. They were parked down the street from the house in question, and this was where they had sat for the past two hours, doing absolutely nothing but staring at the building as it didn't change in the slightest.

"This isn't even a good use of my  _skill set_ ," Cameron continued to complain. He ignored Kay's reflexive snort and swept on. "We're just sitting here staring at a house—  _Jordan_  can do that, and he tripped over nothing yesterday." Kay shook her head and rolled her eyes. He took her disbelief as aimed towards something else, because he moved on to declare rather earnestly: "I'm serious, there was absolutely nothing on the ground, he was walking out of the kitchen…bam, just flat on his face. He tripped over the  _air_." He looked back front and sighed, sagging down more into the seat. "It was actually really impressive…I clapped for him."

"You didn't have to come with me," Kay reminded him, not for the first time tonight. Like all the other times, he blew out his cheeks and looked at her blandly. She ignored him. It was an exchange they were long since familiar with. In fact, they were so familiar with it, that by now it wouldn't even really be a normal day for them if it didn't happen once. "I told you it wouldn't be anything interesting."

"Okay, it sounded  _much_  more fun when you first talked about it," Cameron argued. He sounded like a kid who was told they were going to Disneyworld only to now be staring at the dentist's office. "An escaped drug kingpin, broken out of prison and on the run somewhere in New York— that sounded  _interesting!_  I thought we'd be running around, tracking people down, questioning bad guys…" He wilted and made a face at the house, like this was all its fault. "Not sitting here staring and waiting." They'd been given the job of staking out the guy's house. Which he guessed was an important part of the whole thing, maybe, because of course he might want to go back to his wife if he was really stupid, but like…come on. "Why does Mike get to do all the interrogating? I'm  _good_  at interrogating. Remember that mafia guy we talked to last month?"

"The one you said 'please' to after he said he wouldn't tell us anything?"

"You have to  _give_ respect to  _get_  respect, Kay, it's not rocket science."

"Not every case is interesting, Cameron. Like I said: you didn't have to come."

"Well, you cancelled  _last_ date night, I'm just trying to pick up your slack."

She scoffed again, glancing at him to shoot him that same glare hindered with amusement. "My  _slack_?" she echoed, and he threw his hands up into the air dismissively. "I do not have  _slack_ , I was  _sick_. You wouldn't want to spend the night with me throwing up all over you."

"That's where you're wrong, Daniels," he announced, turning and throwing her a grin so sincere and cute her glare had no choice but to melt on the spot. "I'd spend every single night with you if I could. Even  _if_ you were throwing up all over me." The earnestness of the declaration made her soften and beam even more. The two held one another's gaze with equal amounts of warmth and affection. However, the brief moment passed and Kay deadpanned again when Cameron abruptly tore his gaze away to aim it back towards the house and state: "Except not  _this_  night, because this night  _sucks_." He didn't regard Kay's commencing eyeroll because he was too busy going on. "You have a  _master of deception_  at your disposal and you decide to use him to sit and stare at a house like a potential kidnapper." He turned and peered out the window, at the rest of the neighborhood. "I'm surprised no one's wondering what the heck we're doing here. Because _I've_  been wondering that for the past, like…ninety-six minutes and twenty-seven seconds."

"We  _have_  to sit here— criminals always run to their families when they break out of prison. Admittedly, Christopher Weiss is probably smarter than that, but we have to have people stationed just in case. That job just so happens to fall on us this time." Cameron did jazz hands and gave a sarcastic 'Yaaay' but Kay wasn't going to encourage him. She did way too much of that as it is. "A bank was robbed earlier this morning, that can't be a coincidence, and if Christopher is planning to flee the country like we think he is, then he isn't about to leave his wife here. He'll either come get her himself or arrange to have her taken to him, and if either one of those things happen, then we'll be here, and you can stop complaining about how bored you are."

"But  _until then_ , I can keep complaining, right?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't."

"Well, that's too bad," Cameron remarked. "Because I'm gonna keep complaining."

"I'd be shocked if you didn't," Kay sighed, exhaustion fringing her words.

The two passed a couple minutes in silence, both just observing the still house and noting that everything was still the same. Not a single thing about it was different; all night it had been silent and still. None of the lights were even on. Cameron made a face and yawned, and Kay exhaled a little heavier as she leaned back more into the seat of the car. An even longer time passed, neither of them speaking. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, because by now they could probably pass hours in one another's company saying absolutely nothing and not feel the smallest bit awkward. But it did go by slow. After a while, a warm smile traced its way over Cameron's face and he asked: "You know what would be better than this?"

Kay roused, looking at him curiously. "What?"

"Anything," he answered flatly. She sighed, and started to open her mouth to probably tell him to shut up, when he suddenly gasped, yanking his feet off the dashboard and cramming up close to the windshield. His eyes flew wide with something close to alarm, and immediately Kay was whirling to follow his gaze, already snapping to attention. "Look!" Cameron hissed, ramming his index finger against the glass.

"What?  _What!?"_  she demanded, seeing absolutely nothing.

"It's a  _cat_!" All the energy and wind and most importantly patience drained out of her the instant Cameron cried this. He was in no way disheartened with the dull expression that came back over her face. His own was lit up completely as his eyes trained on the tiny shape that was making its way down the street. She could barely see it— she had no idea how Cameron had picked it out so easily.  _"Look!"_  he cried again when she apparently didn't have the reaction he was waiting for. "What if it doesn't have an owner!? What if it's out in the cold without—  _Kay, you gotta let me go out and get that cat_." This was said with all the urgency in the world. She ducked her head and held it in her hands.

"You are not bringing a cat into this investigation."

"This isn't even an investigation! We're sitting here staring. I do that in the McDonald's drive thru, do I investigate McDonald's?" She threw him a look that very clearly said 'I love you but I'm two seconds away from strangling you until you can't talk anymore.' He wasn't deterred. At this point, she was inclined to wonder if there wa _s anything_  that deterred him. Like, in general. "Come on!" he pleaded. " _Free cat!_ It's a  _free cat_ , right out there— don't you want a cat?" She smiled in exasperation, and he was cracking a grin too. By now it was more or less already gone. He shook his head in feigned regret. "You're the worst. You just  _killed_  that cat— it's going to die of hypothermia. Where's my phone? I'm calling PETA. Or at the  _very least_ I have to play that sad Sarah McLachlan song while you sit here and think about what you just did."

"Why do you do things like this?" she asked conversationally, watching him dig his phone out of his pocket.

He didn't answer, too busy typing furiously. Before she could go on, he was looking up at her pointedly, disappointment radiating off of him. She was about to ask him what the heck he was doing, before he actually lived up to his threat, and the car was suddenly filled with slow piano music. Kay couldn't keep herself composed anymore and she actually started to break out into giggles as he continued to just stare at her with undisguised chagrin. She smiled from ear-to-ear, her expression turning fond as she looked at him adoringly. He wasn't able to keep back the hint of his own grin, but he tried to keep himself looking upset, especially when the chorus hit.  _'In the arms of the angel…fly away from here. From this dark, cold hotel room…'_

"Okay,  _stop_ ," she snapped, reaching out and wrestling it away from him. He snorted, trying to fumble for it back, but she held it too far away. "We're supposed to be paying attention." He blew out a heavy sigh and leaned dramatically against the car door, turning his disappointed stare back on their target. "You're impossible—  _and I swear to God, Cameron_ ," she was already rushing on, before he could even get out the reply she  _knew_ he was prepared to give. Sure enough, he was put out when he just closed his mouth. She nodded, satisfied with the wise choice. "I shouldn't have let you come," she sighed, redirecting her attention back as well. "You're a distraction."

"Because I'm so  _handsome_  you can't  _possibly_  focus on anything else."

Kay snickered and that was as good a reply as any.

"C'mon, you'd be lost without me," Cameron egged. But at least now he was keeping his eyes on the house as he talked. They both could. Kay grinned. He did the same, albeit teasingly. "The entire FBI would actually be lost without me." She pretended to agree, dramatically nodding her head and humming. He decided it was best to take it as honesty. "The entire…United States basically depends on me, so like…I'm not trying to intimidate you or anything…but you're pretty much dating the most important person you possibly can at the moment."

She couldn't  _not_ laugh at that. " _Am_  I?"

" _Yes!_ Your boyfriend is not only a famous, widely-adored magician, he is also the key to peace in general society, and basically life as we know it. You should feel pretty lucky."

"Hm. I will as soon as you introduce me to him," she proposed.

He threw her a look. "Ha ha," he grumbled, and she only laughed more. When he turned back, though, he was smiling. And once he did twist back front, Kay's amusement faded to once again be replaced by that undisguised adoration again. Not that it mattered he didn't see— they'd both seen the exact expression on each other's face enough times to fill an entire lifespan. You'd think by now the spark would have dulled at least a little bit…that her chest would stop a _ching_ with love every time she looked at him, but you would be wrong to assume so. Because it hadn't— not even a little bit. In fact, sometimes the pain of it was actually sharper, or at the very least more apparent.

She was so sidetracked feeling this that she almost missed it when he spoke up again. "Hey, if we got married, your name would sound a lot different," he announced out of the blue. She stiffened, surprise making the soft look on her face flee. It was replaced with genuine befuddlement. When he looked at her, he rushed on, straightening up a bit more. "This isn't a proposal or anything— I have to wait and do that right, so it  _most definitely_  would not take place on the dullest night of my life." She got a bit exasperated with this. "I'm just making conversation because I'm literally dying of boredom." There was actual thought on his face, though. "But…Kay Black sounds a lot different than Kay Daniels. I'm just pointing out the facts."

It took her a second to recover from her shock. But when she did, she regained her footing, and she shot him a haughty smirk. "Well…what makes you think I'd take your last name, anyway?" she asked. He made a face, and she giggled. "Why can't you take mine? Cameron Daniels?" she mused.

"I can't take your name!" he blustered, like this would be an actual crime.

"Why not?"

"Because…because…" He wilted, looking sad. "I'm Cameron Black."

She burst out laughing. "You're  _self-absorbed_ ," she corrected after a second.

"Hey,  _you_  married  _me_ , so I don't see why we're putting  _my_ character into question, here."

"I haven't  _married you_!" she laughed.

"Not  _yet_ you haven't," he snapped back, like it was a threat.

She shook her head aimlessly at him before she looked back ahead. It was his turn to look at her with a softer smile, now. A couple long moments went by in that silence again, and he only seemed to grow soberer. He opened his mouth and started to try and say something. "Kay, I—"

"What's that?" she asked, and the tone of her voice immediately wiped whatever Cameron was planning to say into oblivion. He frowned and followed her gaze to see that a car was pulling up to the home in question. Or, it started to, anyway. It started to pull up to it before it stopped, like it had suddenly broken down. It idled there for a while, and Cameron titled his head to the side in suspicion. Kay's eyes narrowed. After a period of time that seemed much too long, the driver seemed to change his mind. They pulled back out and took off to continue down the street, moving significantly faster now.

"They're driving without headlights," Cameron noted aloud.

Kay was already snapping their car into drive. He yelped in a little bit of surprise the instant they peeled out, basically flattened back against the seat, but he peeled himself back off and recovered fast. Over time, he'd actually gotten used to Kay's crazy driving. Now, after the initial bump, he was just as focused as she was. She floored after the car in question, already radioing back that they were in pursuit of a suspicious vehicle. Others would flood after them, hopefully soon, and others would double back to the house to make sure that nothing was missed there— that if this was an attempt at trickery, it would be for nothing because they would have it covered anyway.

Kay pressed even more on the gas, trying to catch up to the car in question. If she could cut them off, she might be able to get the car to stop, and from there they could see whether or not it was their escaped kingpin. Though by this point, all signs were pointing to likely as the car refused to slow down or acknowledge them, swerving and taking turns hard like it was trying to avoid being tailed. It was doing all it possibly could to lose them, but she refused to let it get that far away. Cameron grimaced and held to the car door to keep from being flung around. It didn't do much, but he guessed he'd take what he could get.

The pursuit went on, and they couldn't get up to him enough. Every time it seemed like Kay had a maneuver that would do the trick, he slipped out of their grasp right before she could. Cameron watched and waited nervously, his chest tight. They'd left the neighborhood far behind and they were heading into Park Slope by now, still without a lead on the driver. He felt a little useless just sitting here so he grabbed the radio without permission, which may or may not have been allowed, and he started to try and keep track of where they were and tell everyone else. They were going way too fast, and this wasn't anywhere near where they expected to be tonight. Everyone needed to catch up to them, and they needed to do it now. If they could corner him…

"We're coming onto Ninth Street, we still don't have him!" he was narrating. "If anyone at all could show up and give us some help it'd probably be really cool!" He grumbled when Kay swerved again and he more or less hit his head on the window. He made a face but swept on. "And did anyone send any cars back to the house just in case—?"

Cameron broke off, his eyes flying wide when an unsuspecting car suddenly pulled out up ahead of them. They were just far enough away for Kay to slam down on the brakes, the car tires screaming against the asphalt as Cameron was rammed hard against the dash in the sudden stop. He was surprised the airbags didn't go off, and his side was kind of regretting that it didn't. Kay was a little dazed when she hit her forehead on the steering wheel, but up ahead the car they'd been chasing was getting off rougher. It hadn't been far enough away to stop; it had slammed right into the turning vehicle with a sickening crunch. Cameron was winded but he was immediately shoving himself back up, trying to see whether or not anyone was hurt.

At first he couldn't tell, but after a couple of seconds the door of the car they'd been after opened and someone staggered out. Cameron recognized him immediately and his hand went over to latch onto Kay's shoulder, as she was trying to blink away her shock. "Kay, it's him!" he yelled. He turned, fumbling for both their seatbelts and unlatching them at the same time. "Kay, are you alright!? Come on!" He whirled around and shot out of the car, and thankfully she was following right after him. Cameron stopped only long enough to look back at the car that had pulled out, to make sure that person was alright. Sure enough, they were half-climbing half-falling out, alarmed and confused as they looked after the others. Worst-case scenario, the crash would get police out here and they could help get this guy. So far no other FBI agents had shown up yet.

He shook his head to clear it and ran faster. Kay stumbled a little bit at first, and he was there to reach out and steady her when she did, but eventually the two of them were sprinting after the escaped criminal and quickly closing in. They matched each other stride for stride, neither of them faltering in the slightest. Kay was shouting at the top of her lungs for him to stop— she had already drawn out her gun. Cameron was trying to figure out whether or not they could split up and corner him, or herd him into an alleyway where he couldn't get out. This was a situation they should have planned more for, and yet it had been out of the blue. Cameron had  _literally_  invited himself an hour before Kay was getting into her car.

There wasn't a trick up his sleeve for this one, but then again maybe it wasn't really a situation that needed one. They just needed to be faster than this guy. And they could be. He quickened his pace even more, and Kay adjusted to keep up. "Christopher! Stop!" Kay was screaming. Cameron reached out, trying to grab onto him somehow even though he was still a few feet ahead. "It's over, Christopher, stop running!" Cameron was almost close enough to grab onto the back of his shirt, but before he could manage it, a car suddenly careened up from down the street. Christopher skidded to a stop, and Cameron did the same, throwing out an arm to keep Kay back as well, so she wouldn't run into him.

As soon as the car screeched to a stop, Mike and two other agents were pouring out of it, all shouting just like Kay was. Cameron sagged with relief at the sight of them, finally. Christopher started to whirl around and run the other way, but Kay and Cameron were roadblocks waiting. Cameron started to offer him a 'That's the way the cookie crumbles' kind of grin, which was usually his go-to when they caught someone. But his grin was wiped immediately as Weiss reached back and whipped out his own weapon, before anyone could react. He levelled the barrel right back at Kay.

They were at a draw.

Cameron was rigid with shock, but Kay stayed collected. In fact, she just seemed angry at the thought that he wanted to shoot her. "Put the gun down, Weiss," she snapped. Cameron looked between her and him nervously. From behind the criminal, Mike was beginning to advance, and Cameron silently begged him to hurry up. "You're already in enough trouble, don't add to it. There's nowhere to run. You can either go back to prison to serve the sentence you already have, or triple your time and still get taken back. There's no way out of this. You have all these other people ready to shoot you the second you do anything." He threw Mike a look, practically screaming at him not to take so long. It had only been a couple of seconds, but every single one felt like a century. He edged more towards Kay, blatantly defensive. Kay didn't even notice— she was still trying to bargain sense into the other guy. To eliminate any causalities. But it wasn't going to work, was it? A drug kingpin with his entire cartel in pieces and nothing but jail to look forward to? Could they be bargained with?  _No, of course not, put your hands up, Kay, don't—!_ "Put the gun down, Weiss." She seemed to have more faith in Mike than Cameron did. The closer he got, the stronger her voice became, and the more intimidating her stance. "It's all over. There's nothing you can do now."

" _Kay_ ," Cameron hissed under his breath.

She ignored him. "Don't do something you'll regret, Weiss. Don't make  _me_ do something I'll regret."

He scowled even more. His face twisted in sheer rage. Something changed in his gaze, and Cameron stiffened in horror.

Three things happened in what seemed like the same exact millisecond, though that couldn't possibly have been the reality of it.

The first: Cameron jerked out, shoving Kay to the side as hard as he could and sending her sprawling to the ground. She fell away and hit the pavement, winded and shocked from the impact.

The second: Christopher pulled the trigger. There was an earsplitting bang as he shot through the exact spot Kay had been just a heartbeat before.

The third: Mike finally got close enough and slammed the hilt of his gun against the back of the drug lord's head, knocking him out cold and making him buckle down to the sidewalk.

These three things seemed to happen one directly after the other, with hardly a space to breathe in between. Like dominos that caused the next thing to happen once it was immediately through. And the second it was over, everyone was swarming to apprehend the fallen criminal before anything else could happen. Kay managed to get her breath back. She grimaced and started to push himself up to sit. Her head was still sensitive from hitting it on the wheel in the car; now it took her even longer to clear it. She looked at Christopher as Mike started to cuff his hands behind his back, and she felt a wash of triumph and satisfaction at the success.

She turned and looked up at Cameron, a smile wide on her face. "Cameron, we di—!"

She broke off, mostly confused at first. Cameron was watching everyone crowd Christopher and radio back to announce the triumph. Initially, she thought he was just relishing in it like she was, before she realized the look on his face didn't fit the situation. He looked shocked, and alarmed…like something was wrong, when it was anything but. His hands were folded awkwardly in front of him, and Kay's face slowly froze over in horror as he brought them away from his stomach and looked down.

They were trembling, and covered in blood.

" _Cameron!"_ The second Kay screamed his name, he collapsed. He couldn't even catch himself, and yet he didn't even react to the hard collision with the concrete. Her heart was racing, and so were her thoughts; she was so shocked she couldn't even get up to her feet to run. All she could do was whirl around and scramble over to him, her eyes wide and her expression absolutely horrified.  _"Cameron!"_ she screeched. His eyes were screwed shut, horrible pain and agony contorting his expression in a way that took the breath she had just regained right back out of her. His hands were back against his abdomen, and Kay felt icy coldness rush over her as she saw how much blood was already covering them.

He'd gotten shot. In the split second after he'd pushed her…

" _Mike, call an ambulance!" s_ he screamed, her voice broken and frayed in hysterics already. She didn't even bother looking over at her friend to see his reaction, or if he actually followed instructions. She was just crawling closer to Cameron, hunching over him and reaching down to peel his hands away from the wound. Cameron screamed, but in a clenched, high-pitched kind of way. It came out sounding more like a squeak that practically scraped out against his throat. Kay's own was already swelling closed, and tears were already rushing down her face. The sound of Cameron's gasping, already punctured and panicked, was making it ten times worse. "Cameron, Cameron, move your hands," she breathed, her voice shaking like a leaf in the wind. Cameron cringed deeply and whimpered, and she bit down on a sob, her lips shaking as she tried to keep herself composed. She took in a deep breath and grabbed hard to Cameron's wrists, tugging them away. "Cameron, I need to see— I need to see, Cameron, I'm sorry."

She finally managed to take his hands away, but she immediately wished she'd just stayed oblivious. It was a gaping hole, just a little bit lower than the exact middle of his chest. Blood was gushing out of the wound, already dying his shirt a sickening blackish-red. He was struggling to breathe, his chest heaving up and down in shallow hisses. "Oh my God— oh my God, Cameron, Cameron, I—" Her voice was thick and wavering. It took a second for her to snap herself into motion but when she did, she twisted and ripped her jacket off. She leaned over him and pressed it down as hard as she could against the gunshot wound. Immediately Cameron screamed out in that same pitiful squeak, flinching and gagging. "I'm sorry, Cameron, I'm so sorry," she was crying. "I'm going to stop this bleeding, I'm going to stop it, it's going to be okay, you're going to be fine Cameron, everything is going to be fine."

He cried out, grinding his teeth so hard she could hear it. He couldn't get much out, but he did manage a sob of: "…hurts…!"

"I know, I know, Cameron, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she cried, shaking her head fast. "But it'll be fine you're fine you're perfectly fine just hang on. Mike— Mike called the ambulance, they're coming here right now. They're going to help you. You're going to be fine." Her words were so rushed and fast that one word practically melted into the other.

Cameron cringed and reached up, fumbling for a moment but eventually managing to latch onto her arm tightly, like she was a lifeline and if he held to her hard enough, he wouldn't slip away. Immediately, she felt the hot-cold sensation of blood seep through her sleeve, and her shoulders started to shake with barely-suppressed sobs. His blue eyes were glassy and bright with pain, but, still fighting for air, he got himself to look at her. Their stares clashed painfully, and Kay started crying even harder. Where was the ambulance!? She couldn't dare move him— if there wasn't an exit wound, she could risk dislodging the bullet and making him bleed out faster. Moving him at all could be disastrous— they needed medical professionals. But where were they!? And how long would they take!?

Cameron was shaking, like the temperature had suddenly plunged thirty degrees from the already-frigid weather. His teeth were chattering. His fingers curled down more into her sleeve, and she leaned even closer, looking to be as in as much pain as he was. And the pain in her eyes only tripled when his lips twitched into a weak little smile. He started to try and speak, but she couldn't hear. She cringed, and moved to risk shifting him so that she could hold him in her arms, and pull him closer. Mostly moving his upper half and leaving his lower where it was, to try and not alter the injury. He cringed and spluttered in pain when she did, but he didn't object. In fact, it felt like he just held even tighter to her. "What?" she sniffed. It barely got out in the first place.

His fractured smile flickered weakly to life again. Amusement was a minimal scrap against the suffering that was clouding his entire face. "'s…night…'s still…boring," he informed her, the words coming slow and separated with gasps.

It took a moment, before she smiled, a strangled burst of giggles dying on her tongue and coming out more like crying. He grinned just the tiniest bit more when he heard her laughter. However, it was quick to be replaced with yet another flinch, and another strained retch. His grip on her arm was getting weaker, or maybe that was just her overthinking it all. No. He was going to be fine. He was joking with her, he was smiling, he was going to be fine. He would be smiling at her like this tomorrow morning, he would be snickering along with her next week, he would be kissing her excitedly a month from now, he would be holding her in his arms a year from tonight, instead of her holding him, and a decade from now this would just be a memory so forgotten it was gathering dust. He was going to be fine. "You're right," she whispered, only able to manage the tiniest of murmurs. "You're absolutely right it is— I need you here to distract me. I need a distraction, you have to keep distracting me, Cameron."

His smile began to fade, his fingers grew looser. His head started to go slack to the side, to rest down into the crook of her elbow. His yelps and hisses of pain were getting more and more strained, and flimsier. Immediately, panic rushed fire-hot through her, burning her before she could even breathe. "No, no no no, Cameron,  _no_!" she yelled, making her voice harder just in the attempt to get him to hear. She felt someone at her side and she whirled around to see that Mike had come over to the two of them, his eyes stretched wide and hollow as they trained on Cameron.

She took her hand away from her jacket, which was quickly growing sopping wet with blood. "Hold that there," she barked, before she looked down at Cameron again. She moved to hold one of his hands, intertwining their fingers as tightly as she could and biting down on her tongue when Cameron could not return the grasp. She shifted and held him tighter with her other arm, curling him even closer to her and ignoring how much blood she was getting on herself. "Cameron! Stop!" she yelled, not even able to garner a sense of relief when he pried his eyes open again. They were way too bleary— half-lidded and absent. "Cameron, you have to stay with me," she begged brokenly.

"'m…righ— here…" he pointed out, his words slurring together in a way that made it hard to understand. He flinched, his body suddenly going into a sharp spasm of pain that only made him scream pathetically. She held tighter to his hand, cringing as she ducked her head low. She picked it back up and looked towards the sky briefly in desperation. Before she managed to look back down at him, however much it hurt. She had reflected before that it ached just to look at him, she loved him so much.

She'd had  _no_ idea what real pain was until this very moment.

She didn't know how miniscule that would be compared to this.

"Cameron, please don't do this," she begged weakly, in nothing but a whisper. She bent down low to press their foreheads together, moving so she was holding onto his wrist instead of his hand. She felt for his pulse there, and at the weak and stuttering beat that met her she flinched, a grating sob escaping her as she curled down even more over him. Like by doing this she could protect him. "Just a couple more minutes,  _please_ just last a couple more minutes,  _please_ , for  _me_ ," she pleaded. Cameron was whimpering under his breath, trying to keep his noises of pain from growing too apparent but failing the longer time dragged on. She could feel him shaking in her arms. She sniffed and shook her head against his, squeezing her eyes shut like a kid might try to do to wake themselves up from a nightmare. "You said it before— I'm lost without you, Cameron, so don't you  _dare_  leave me now."

"…'re not…gettin' rid of…me that…eas—…that…" She pulled away just a fraction so she could look at him, her expression in pieces as she watched him drag his head back to look at her. It was like the simple action took a monumental effort. The very far left corner of his mouth twitched upwards, like he was trying to smile again but couldn't quite manage it this time. His eyes began to close again and she could see how much he was having to fight against it. He moved his arm and dragged it up just a little bit more, to try and hold to the side of her face. She smiled again in that painfully heartbroken way, and she immediately moved to help him keep it there, trying to ignore how wet his palm was to the touch. Trying to ignore how overpowering the smell of blood was by this point.

His eyes went soft as he looked up at her. Despite the agony that was clenching his expression, she could still somehow see it there. She could see the same expression he'd worn when he'd seen her dressed up for their first actual date. How he'd looked at her when they were doing the dishes and started water fight that ended when he'd pressed her up against the counter and kissed her because he couldn't help himself. How he'd looked at her not an hour ago, sitting together in the peace of a silent car with no idea that anything like this was going to happen. She saw that same softness there.  _His_ softness. And the grip she was trying to keep on the situation was gone and she was breaking down over him, sobbing and not even caring that everyone could see.

"I'm so sorry, Cameron, I'm so sorry," she keened. She flinched in pain away from his whimpers and heavy exhales. His strangled gasps that seemed to get smaller and smaller with each one. "This is my fault, this is all my fault, I should have— I shouldn't have—" She couldn't finish a thought. Rationale was out the window. All she could come back to were her senseless begs to: "Please stay with me Cameron, please don't do this, don't do this to me, you can't do this to me." Mike was keeping a firm hold on the jacket against Cameron's wound, which wasn't doing much but was the only thing they had at the moment. His expression was numb as he watched Kay collapse into a fit of sobbing, practically heaving with each cry.

"…ar—y…m—" Cameron was struggling to get something out.

He was going pale. His hand was getting colder.

Kay pressed her lips hard together, because she was afraid if she didn't, she would start to scream. Wavering, she bent down, hardly managing a weak: "What?" Her fingers curled more around his hand, a silent beg for him to stay.  _Stay, stay, please just stay,_ please _let him stay…_

Cameron cringed, a sharp whine bottling itself at the back of his throat as he stiffened, his fingers digging into her skin for only a second before the jolt of pain was gone and left him even more vacant than before. He was gasping shallowly for air, and it took what felt like forever for him to get his lips to move again. The second effort was just as small and quiet as the first, but she was closer this time, so she heard the rasp. And at once, even more tears rushed to blur her vision and render her blind.

"Marry me," he begged, the last word sharper than the other as he flinched.

She pulled away to look at him better. There was a lifetime of agony on her face. Her lips trembled and her reply was just a croak. "I will," she choked. She sniffed and shook her head, struggling to keep calm. "When you make it through this, I'll marry you, Cameron Black. I promise." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, and she slowly lowered his hand away from her face, letting it rest on his chest only so she could reach out and start to card her fingers soothingly through his hair.

He closed his eyes at this, but he did so harder this time, and she could see his body shake in what might have been sobs if he was strong enough for them. He fumbled and his hand moved through the air a couple times before he was able to grab hold of her again. His other arm jerked upwards just as blindly, until he could grab to the side of her neck, like he was trying to pull himself up to her. Her lips shook as she kept trying to calm him down. Her voice was ruined when she spoke. "You'll be okay." Tears were rushing down her face, turning the blood that was there a lighter pink rather than the original dark scarlet. "You're going to be okay, you're okay Cameron, you're okay, I promise, I promise you're okay, please stop moving, you can't move Cameron, you can't move we have to wait." Her reassurances were nearing hysterical.

Cameron fought to keep ahold of her, and against the raw pain in his eyes there was a surge of something close to desperation. He pleaded again, choking out against hisses of pain: "Marry me." And she could see the sorrow in his face and the realization that he was now allowing to dawn over him. She wanted to fight him. She wanted to yell at him and tell him to stop— to not give up like this. To tell him that this wasn't helping and to stop moving because he needed to be still because he needed to make it. She wanted to yell, she wanted to scream, she wanted to be angry, she wanted to be livid.

But she couldn't.

All she could do was cry harder and eventually give him a tiny: "Okay." He still held to her with urgency, but she could see the tiniest hint of a smile creep over his numbing face with her answer. His pained yelps subsided in the brief happiness. The tiny moment of excitement that she had actually said yes. She sniffed and closed her eyes, because it was easier that way, and she was selfish. "Okay, I will," she wept. "I'll marry you."

He was trying to smile again. He was struggling to, but it wouldn't seem to come. The pain was too much, and it was too much to speak, either. "G— good, I—" He broke off into another spasm of agony, and he had to bite down on a scream before it could get out too far. He was twitching more and more, and his voice was only growing thicker. He wasn't staring up at Kay anymore, his eyes were falling to stare neutrally forward, past her and more at Mike than anyone else. Still, he struggled to communicate to her. "B— 'cau— I lo—" His gasps shook on the way down. "Mak— me hap—"

Her stomach clenched when she saw how vacant his eyes were becoming. How she felt his grip on her beginning to slip. "Cameron." She choked back another hard swallow and snapped:  _"Cameron!"_  She moved to run her hand against the side of his face, applying more pressure than was needed to try and rouse him. In any way.

He quivered, choking as both his hands fell lifeless to his chest. As he wasn't able to hold them up anymore. His breathing was becoming sloppier, and faster. Kay felt helpless as he pleaded weakly: "Can't…breathe, 'm…cold, c— nnn— Ka—" He couldn't form words anymore.

Kay started to hyperventilate as he fell into the trap of spluttering and choking, of gasping breaths that didn't do anything for him anymore and whimpering high-pitched screams of pain. She tried to do whatever she could to stop it. "Hey— Cameron, stop, stop, please— please stop for me, Cameron, you have to calm down, you're—" She cringed, having to breathe deeply to avoid sobbing. "Please don't!" she cried. "I can't lose you too, Cameron, I can't lose you, please don't do this!" She pressed her forehead back against his. His held-back screeches of pain, decaying now in volume, were all she heard. He was screaming less and less. Choking more and more. A horrible gurgling kind of sound was fringing every cry. She still struggled. "Nothing's impossible, Cameron, nothing's impossible, you can do this, you can stay with me, please just stay with me."

Between every plead, every whispered sentiment Kay gave him, she was peppering kisses all over his face. To his forehead, to his cheeks, anywhere she could. Tasting nothing but the salt of her own tears and feeling nothing but how cold his skin was against her lips. Still, she kept on, struggling to reassure him. Struggling to stay close to him. To remember all the times he'd swooped in on her and swung her up in his arms, grinning stupidly as he kissed her all over her face as well, just in the effort to hear her shriek and laugh, and snap at him to get off.

His chest was barely moving, but it was heaving up and down in a panicked rush to try and get more air in. She looked at him and tried to see through her tears. To see the blue eyes that always shined at her brightly no matter what day it was. As she did, she choked out anything and everything she could. "I love you so much," she sobbed, in barely a murmur. "I love you so much and you've given me so much so please don't give me this too, don't do this— I need you. I've always needed you, and no matter what I've ever said, I've always loved you, even when I didn't know it, and I always will, so you need to stay with me. We need to stay together, Cameron, we're partners, and I  _need_  you, I—"

She sniffed, suddenly breaking off. Suddenly falling silent. Because Cameron had.

His sobs and whimpers and gasps had been growing more and more worn as she murmured to him and kissed him, and all of a sudden they stopped completely. All of a sudden she was speaking to air, and her breath caught in her throat as she realized this. She blinked fast and looked at him, horror locking a chokehold around her throat. Cameron's expression was completely blank. His head had slackened just a little bit, to rest against the bend of her arm. He was staring ahead, but there was nothing at all in his eyes. No focus, no anything. They weren't shining— they weren't  _his_ eyes.

She stared at him. Waited for him to blink.

He didn't.

"Cameron?" she croaked.

Nothing.

She turned, looking down at his stomach. Past all the blood, just to see whether or not he was breathing.

He wasn't.

" _Cameron?"_  she cried.

Nothing.

She didn't do anything either. She just stared, absolutely numb.

Mike was watching the entire thing, horrified and stricken. It was this moment he slowly took his hands back to himself and off the wound, his skin stained red with Cameron's blood. For a heartbeat he couldn't breathe, or even think. He considered it impossible. Before he somehow found air and tried to move as if to put an arm around Kay, who was still cradling him in her lap. "…Kay…" he whispered. The other agents comprised a shameless audience, their eyes huge as they just watched. Neither of the two were paying enough attention to notice, though. Kay was staring down at Cameron like she had never seen him before in her life. Mike reached out for her shoulder. "…Kay, it's…he's—"

The moment he touched her, she was snapping out of it. Her expression was crumbling, and her hyperventilation returned full-swing, like it hadn't even left in the first place. "No no no no please don't this can't be happening please God don't do this," she mumbled, sounding almost dazed. Like she'd hit the ground all over again but this time she couldn't collect herself. Her lips shook and her words came out in the form of sobs as she bent low over him, hugging him close and starting to rock like she was trying to calm him down. When really it was just her that was falling apart. "This is all my fault…" she rasped. Mike started to open his mouth and argue, which he knew wouldn't be effective right now anyway, but he wasn't even given the chance to try before she was suddenly wailing, her voice raising into a keening cry that Mike couldn't help but flinch away from. "This is all my fault!" she sobbed.

" _Cameron!"_  The yell was splintered into two. Halves that were far too broken to even attempt to piece back together.

" _Cameron!"_

And like a broken record that could only skip over this one part in a terrible song, that was all Kay could do. Hold Cameron as close to herself as possible and wail his name, like if she screamed it loud enough or repeated it enough times, he would answer her. But he didn't. His glassy, empty stare remained, and his skin stayed ghostly pale. He was lifeless in her arms and no amount of yelling or begging would change the fact. No amount of yelling could wipe away this blood. Or take back the bullet.

But she still begged. Still cried. Wailed. Because it was all she could do.

In the distance, the sound of a siren could be heard gradually getting louder.

The ambulance was coming.

But it was coming far too late.


End file.
